Hen not feeling well-eyes closed and lethargic

[ChickenMom04]

One of my hens was acting strange yesterday afternoon. She’s usually very sassy and runs around, but she was hunched in a corner with her feathers puffed up and her eyes closed. She didn’t move when we picked her up, so we took her into the house to warm her up. It’s been in the -20s lately but they had a heat lamp in their pen. Nonetheless it was worth a try. She only opened her eyes if we turned her on her back or side, and even then she was squinting and not fully alert. I have felt around her abdomen and didn’t notice any unusual lumps. We put some water in a bowl tonight and gently dipped her beak in it so she could drink. She would swallow if we got enough water in her mouth. I noticed that she had a tear in the “webbing” between her toes and that it was bleeding a little, so I put some wound spray on it and wrapped it. I doubt this could be the cause of her issue, right? She’s had bumblefoot before but it didn’t look like it had come back or that she had an infection. She’s 3 years old so I didn’t think she’d be dying this abruptly after being okay just a few days ago. There was no progression, so I don’t see how it could be old age.
We let her sit for a while and checked on her around midnight. She was still pale and groggy but she squinted open her eyes and looked up when we entered the room. She also pooped and it appeared normal. We’re hoping she’s still alive when we check on her in the morning, but since this is so unusual all we can do is make her comfortable in case this is the end for her. She doesn’t seem to be in pain. What could have caused this?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Check to make sure her crop is empty this morning before she's had anything to eat/drink.
When is the last time she laid an egg? Being hunched up, she may be having trouble expelling an egg. I would work on hydration and get some calcium into her. 1 Caltrate with D3 once a day.

 

[ChickenMom04]

Check to make sure her crop is empty this morning before she's had anything to eat/drink.
When is the last time she laid an egg? Being hunched up, she may be having trouble expelling an egg. I would work on hydration and get some calcium into her. 1 Caltrate with D3 once a day.

Her crop did feel empty. I’m not sure when she laid last because out of our 12 laying hens, it’s hard to keep track. Because of the cold they’ve all been slowing down as well and we only get about 4 eggs a day. What would be a good thing to feed her? It’s been a while since she’s eaten but I don’t know if she’s up for dry food yet. Maybe mash?
I’ve been trying to hydrate her and she’s been drinking a lot of water as long as I’m giving it to her. Eventually she gets tired of it though and won’t drink more. Since she’s only drinking small sips I’m worried about her being dehydrated. I have electrolyte powder I can mix into her water as well.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I would give her the electrolytes, once she's hydrated, then a little wet feed, scrambled egg, tuna...whatever you think will be of interest to her. Sometimes when they don't feel well, they just don't like their feed, but will eat bits of something else.

 

[ChickenMom04]

I would give her the electrolytes, once she's hydrated, then a little wet feed, scrambled egg, tuna...whatever you think will be of interest to her. Sometimes when they don't feel well, they just don't like their feed, but will eat bits of something else.

Unfortunately she isn’t doing well. Although she made it through the night, she’s slowing her breathing and doesn’t have much energy. She’s been laying down and isn’t trying to stand anymore, and her eyes are closed. I’m assuming this is the end for her. She seems relaxed and isn’t struggling though. we fed her some scrambled eggs and she ate some but nothing is making her better. She’s in a blanket in the house where she can stay comfortable and I’m hoping she passes soon so she doesn’t experience any pain.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Unfortunately she isn’t doing well. Although she made it through the night, she’s slowing her breathing and doesn’t have much energy. She’s been laying down and isn’t trying to stand anymore, and her eyes are closed. I’m assuming this is the end for her. She seems relaxed and isn’t struggling though. we fed her some scrambled eggs and she ate some but nothing is making her better. She’s in a blanket in the house where she can stay comfortable and I’m hoping she passes soon so she doesn’t experience any pain.

I'm sorry to hear that

 

[ChickenMom04]

I'm sorry to hear that

She died last night. Luckily she spent her last few hours eating scrambled eggs and getting cuddled. Any idea what caused this? None of the other hens have symptoms of anything and her only injury was the tear on her foot. Even then, nothing was swelled or warm so I’m not sure how it could have been infected. She pooped too, so she wasn’t in much trouble there. She was clear of eggs as well.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She died last night. Luckily she spent her last few hours eating scrambled eggs and getting cuddled. Any idea what caused this? None of the other hens have symptoms of anything and her only injury was the tear on her foot. Even then, nothing was swelled or warm so I’m not sure how it could have been infected. She pooped too, so she wasn’t in much trouble there. She was clear of eggs as well.

I'm sorry to hear she died.
There's so many things that can go wrong it would be hard to know what happened unless a necropsy is performed.
State labs offer diagnostic services and give the best information. Sometimes doing an informal home necropsy can give you some answers too.